Alligator River

AMZ131 · Coastal Waters Forecast, National Weather Service Newport/Morehead City NC · issued Sat, Sep 26, 2:35 PM EDT

Small Craft Advisory in force. Tonight: NW winds 15 to 20 kt with gusts to 25 kt, diminishing to 10 to 15 kt late. Waves choppy, diminishing to a moderate chop late.

Alligator River on the map

The zone and the zones around it, tinted where a marine warning or advisory is in force. Tap a neighboring zone to open its forecast.

Gale Warning
Small Craft Advisory

Open the live map with marine zones and buoys

Now

The nearest stations reporting each, as of Sat, Sep 26, 3:00 PM EDT.

Wind: NW 10 kt, gusts 16 kt at ORIN7
Waves: 9.5 ft at 13 s at 44056
Water: 68°F at ORIN7

Alerts in force

Small Craft Advisory from Sat, Sep 26, 2:03 PM EDT until Sun, Sep 27, 2:00 AM EDT

Small Craft Advisory issued September 26 at 2:03PM EDT until September 27 at 2:00AM EDT by NWS Newport/Morehead City NC

The full text

* WHAT...Northwest winds 15 to 20 kt with gusts up to 25 kt and
choppy waters.

* WHERE...Albemarle Sound and Alligator River.

* WHEN...Until 2 AM EDT Sunday.

* IMPACTS...Conditions will be hazardous to small craft.

Inexperienced mariners, especially those operating smaller
vessels, should avoid navigating in hazardous conditions.

The forecast

Coastal Waters Forecast from National Weather Service Newport/Morehead City NC, issued Sat, Sep 26, 2:35 PM EDT, valid until Sun, Sep 27, 3:45 AM EDT. Wind in knots, seas in feet.

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 2 AM EDT SUNDAY

Tonight: NW winds 15 to 20 kt with gusts to 25 kt, diminishing to 10 to 15 kt late. Waves choppy, diminishing to a moderate chop late.
Sunday: W winds 10 to 15 kt. Waves a moderate chop.
Sunday night: W winds 5 to 10 kt. Waves light chop.
Monday: W winds around 5 kt. Waves flat.
Monday night: N winds around 5 kt. Waves flat.
Tuesday: NE winds around 5 kt. Waves flat.
Tuesday night: SE winds around 5 kt. Waves flat.
Wednesday: SW winds around 5 kt, becoming S in the afternoon. Waves flat, increasing to light chop in the afternoon.
Wednesday night: S winds 5 to 10 kt. Waves light chop.
Thursday: SW winds around 5 kt, becoming S in the afternoon. Waves flat, increasing to light chop in the afternoon.
Thursday night: S winds 5 to 10 kt. Waves light chop.

Synopsis

Synopsis for Eastern North Carolina coastal waters

Dangerous boating conditions will continue across the northern and central waters tonight, gradually improving overnight as Nor'easter finally pulls away from the region. A noticeably lower impact period for boaters is expected next week.

Buoys and stations nearby

The latest report from each station within reach of the zone, nearest first. Distances in nautical miles from the middle of the zone.

Station	Distance	Wind	Waves	Water	Air	Pressure	Reported
ORIN7 8652587 - Oregon Inlet Marina, NC	23 nm	NW 10 kt, gusts 16		68°F	62°F	1009.5 hPa	Sat, Sep 26, 3:00 PM EDT
DUKN7 8651370 - Duck Pier, NC	25 nm	NNW 10 kt, gusts 13			64°F	1009.1 hPa	Sat, Sep 26, 3:00 PM EDT
44056 Duck FRF, NC	26 nm		9.5 ft at 13 s from ENE	71°F	65°F		Sat, Sep 26, 3:00 PM EDT
44086 Nags Head, NC (243)	30 nm		12.8 ft at 13 s from NE	73°F			Sat, Sep 26, 3:00 PM EDT
44100 Duck FRF 26m, NC (430)	32 nm		11.2 ft at 13 s from ENE	72°F	62°F		Sat, Sep 26, 3:00 PM EDT
44095 Oregon Inlet, NC (192)	33 nm		11.5 ft at 11 s	73°F			Sat, Sep 26, 2:56 PM EDT

The past year

Warnings, watches and advisories the National Weather Service issued for this zone over the past 12 months, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet’s archive.

Product	Issued	Most recent
Special Marine Warning	42	Sat, Sep 12, 2026, 12:51 PM EDT
Gale Warning	12	Wed, Sep 23, 2026, 7:00 AM EDT
Storm Warning	1	Sat, Jan 31, 2026, 4:00 PM EST
Gale Watch	8	Wed, Sep 23, 2026, 5:00 PM EDT
Severe Thunderstorm Watch	5	Sat, Sep 5, 2026, 4:14 PM EDT
Storm Watch	1	Sun, Feb 1, 2026, 1:00 AM EST
Tornado Watch	1	Mon, Mar 16, 2026, 1:20 PM EDT
Small Craft Advisory	49	Fri, Sep 25, 2026, 6:19 AM EDT
Dense Fog Advisory	4	Fri, Mar 6, 2026, 4:56 PM EST
Freezing Spray Advisory	1	Sat, Feb 7, 2026, 5:00 PM EST

What this means

Marine forecasts give wind in knots (1 knot is 1.15 mph) and seas in feet, except the high seas forecasts, which give seas in meters. Seas are the significant wave height, the average of the highest third of the waves; individual waves may be more than twice that. On the Great Lakes the forecast gives waves, not seas. "Wave Detail" splits the seas into the wind waves and each swell, with its direction and period.

Each coastal office writes a Coastal Waters Forecast for the bays, sounds and ocean out to 20 to 60 nautical miles, or on the Great Lakes a Nearshore Marine Forecast within 5 nautical miles of shore; the Open Lakes Forecast covers the rest of each lake. The Ocean Prediction Center and the National Hurricane Center write the Offshore Waters Forecasts out to about 250 nautical miles, and the High Seas Forecasts beyond. Forecasts are issued at least twice a day and updated when they go wrong.

Small Craft Advisory: Winds or conditions hazardous to small boats. The thresholds are set by each NWS region: typically sustained winds or frequent gusts of 20 to 25 knots up to 33 knots, and seas of 5 to 7 feet or more.
Gale Warning: Sustained winds or frequent gusts of 34 to 47 knots, not from a tropical cyclone.
Storm Warning: Sustained winds or frequent gusts of 48 to 63 knots, not from a tropical cyclone.
Hurricane Force Wind Warning: Sustained winds or frequent gusts of 64 knots or more, not from a tropical cyclone.
Special Marine Warning: A thunderstorm or squall over the water with winds or gusts of 34 knots or more, hail of 3/4 inch or more, or a waterspout, for up to two hours.
Hazardous Seas Warning: Wave heights or steepness at or above the office’s warning threshold, when the wind alone does not warrant a warning.
Heavy Freezing Spray Warning: Spray freezing on a vessel at 2 cm (3/4 inch) an hour or more.
Tropical Storm and Hurricane Warnings: Tropical storm (34 to 63 knots) or hurricane (64 knots or more) conditions expected within 36 hours. Watches: possible within 48 hours.

Nearby

Open the live map with marine zones and buoys The hour-by-hour forecast for the middle of the zone Every Atlantic Coast zone

Sources

Coastal Waters Forecast CWFMHX from National Weather Service Newport/Morehead City NC, issued Sat, Sep 26, 2:35 PM EDT. Original at NWS. Buoy reports from the National Data Buoy Center. Past products from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet. Zone outlines from the NWS marine and offshore zone boundaries. Warnings and advisories from the NWS API, read 19:52 UTC. All public domain, from the National Weather Service.